The Arts

A journey through Asian art

1. Liu Haisu in China and Tetsugoro Yorozu in Japan challenged traditional values through their confronting subject matter. They embraced the western concept of the individual, western art making techniques and chose as their subject matter the lowest most insignificant member of their society at the time – women.

   In the contemporary world of your life, what traditional values might you challenge in your art and how would you go about it? What techniques might you use that are different and shocking? If your challenging subject matter is the most insignificant member of our society – what might you depict?

   Resources

   • Confucianism
     • Article on Confucianism from the Asia Society
     • Facts about Confucianism
   • Liu Haisu
     • Master of survival an article about Liu Haisu
     • Liu Haisu: Artistic Rebel
   • Tetsugoro Yorozu
     • Biography of Yorozu Tetsugoro
   • New Culture Movement
     • Article on the New Culture Movement
     • Article about the New Culture Movement in East Asian History (PDF)
   • Green Sun or Sōsaku-hanga
     • Article on Wikipedia about Sōsaku-hanga

2. Amanda Heng wanted to create a new dialogue within her culture. She did not want to eradicate or ignore her culture but rather, from within it, critique the position of women. She focused her lens on herself, her mother and touch. She speaks of finding a new language, as much for her own understanding as others.

   It is difficult to critique from within. If you were to take this stance in your own art work, what might you critique and how might you go about it?

   Resources

   • Traditional Chinese family structure
     • Article about traditional Chinese families
     • Gender and family in contemporary China (PDF)
   • Critique from within and the concept of hegemony
     • Introduction to Gramsci's concept of cultural hegemony